Fire-escape or lifter



(3)50 Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. WEL LENS.

FIRE ESCAPE 0R LIFTER.

Patented Mar. 27,. 1894.

INVENTOI? A TTORNEYS.

W/TNESSES.

THE NAHONAL LITHDGRAFHING COMPANY,

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(-NO Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

w. W ELLENS. FIRE ESCAPE 0R LIFTER.

N0. 517,318.- 1 Patented Mar. 27, 1894.

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(No Model.) s Sheets-Sheet a.

W. WELLENS.

FIRE ESCAPE 0R LIFTER.

No. 517,318. Patented Mar.'Z7, 1894.

WITNESSES. lNVENTOfi /q46(/ WW W BY A TTOHNEYS THE NAT-DONAL umoamr-umeCOMPANV,

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WELLENQ, OF OLDHAM, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND EDWARDWELLENS, OF SAME PLACE, AND MARK SOWDEN, OF BROOK- LYN, NEW YORK.

FlRE-ESGAPE OR LIFTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Batent No. 517,318, dated March2'7, 1894.

Application filed May 9, 1893. Serial No. 473,620. (No model.) Patentedin England March 5, 1892, No. 4,381.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WELLENS, of Oldham, England, have invented anew and Improved Fire-Escape or Lifter, (for which I have obtainedLetters Patent in Great Britain, No. 4,381, dated March 5,1892,) ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements infire escapes and lifters; and theobject of my invention is to produce a cheap, simple, and convenientapparatus by means of which weights or loads of different kinds may beeasily transferred from one floor to another,

also to produce an apparatus which affords an efficient fire escape, andfurther to arrange the device so that it may be used as van ordinaryladder adapted especially for use in painting or making repairs onbuildings.

To this end my invention consists in certain features of constructionand combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 a is broken front elevation with parts in section, of thelifting apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionon the line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatuswhen arranged in a portable frame and adapted for lifting. Fig. 4 is anend View of the runner or carriage on which the frame is mounted.

- Fig. 5 is a broken side elevation of the carriage. Fig. 6 is a brokenplan view of the same. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the apparatus whenarranged as a fire escape. Fig. 8 is a front elevation of the apparatusshown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is a detail side elevation of the ladder and ofa hook and seat adapted 'to fasten the ladder and serve as a support forthe framework. Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view, showing howthe laddermay be hooked to the wall of a building and hung out of a window. Fig.11 is a broken front elevation of a modified form of the ladder and oneof its drivers. Fig. 11 is a detail view of another modified form ofdriver for the ladder; and Fig. 12 is a side elevation of a foldedladder.

The apparatus employs an endless ladder which is driven by oppositelyarranged pulleys or drivers, which consist of flanges 10 and a series ofcross rods 11 connecting the flanges. The drivers are carried by shafts12 which are journaled in supporting brackets 13, these being secured ina suitable framework 14. The endless ladder carried by the drivers orpulleys comprises opposite side pieces formed of a series of short links15 and cross rungs or rounds 16, connecting the side pieces and formingthe pivots of the links. The arrangement described enables the shortlinks of the ladder to fit snugly around the cross rods of the driversor pulleys, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the ladder will not slip, and toguard against noise these cross rods may be incased in rubber washers17, see Fig. 2.

Instead of making the drivers with opposite fianges 10, as described,each driver may be composed of a single flange 10 see Fig. 11, providedwith transverse pins 11 and the ladder may be made narrower, as shown inthe same figure, so that the link 15 will turn over the outer ends ofthe pins or the flange may be notched to receive the ladder rounds as at10 in Fig; 11*. The shafts of the drivers may be provided with anysuitable brake mechanism to control the speed of the shaft, but aconvenient form is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which is substantially likean ordinary strap brake. Here the upper shaft 12 is provided with apulley 18 over which extends a strap 19 which at one end is secured to astud 20 on the frame 14. and which at the other end is secured toaswinging lever 21 which is fulcrumed on the frame, as shown at 22, andby pressing downward on the lever, the strap is forced upon the pulleyso as to check or stop the same.

The ladder and the shafts may be turned by a person attempting to walkup one side of the ladder, after the manner of operating a treadmill andto enable loads to be raised or lowered winding drums 23 and 24 areused, these being arranged on the upper IOO manner of connecting the twodrums, is shown in Fig. 3. where a rope 25 is secured to the upper drum23, extends outward overa guide pulley 26, then downward through asheave pulley 27 carrying a hoisting hook 28, thence upward over apulley 29 hung parallel with the pulley 26, and thence downward to thepulley 24:. It will be seen that by winding the rope upon either or bothof the drums, the pulley 27 and hoisting hook 28 are raised and areverse movement lowers the hoisting hook. The shaft of the lower drumis provided with a ratchet wheel 30, see Fig. 3, which is engaged by apawl 31 pivoted on an adjacent support, and the pawl prevents theratchet wheel and the adjacent drum from turning in the wrong direction.The pawl is connected by a cord 32 with a lever 33, which is fulcrumedabove the pawl and the handle 34 of which may be grasped so as todepress one end of the lever, raise the other and release the pawl.

The drums E33 and 241 are connected with their shafts, as illustrated inFig. 1, so that they may be fastened so as to revolve with it, orreleased therefrom, so as to unwind without removing the ladder. Forthis purpose, each shaft, 12, is provided with squared portions, 35,(see lower right hand portion of Fig.1,) which are adapted to fitsquared holes in the ends of the drums. When the latter are adjusted onthe squared portions of the shaft, as shown in full lines Fig. 1, theyare held there by a catch, 36, which is pivoted to one end of the drumand whose free end enters a ring groove in the shaft. By raising thesaid catch out of the groove, the drum is free to be shifted to theright, into the position shown by dotted lines, so that it no longerfits on the squared portions of the shaft, and may hence be rotatedindependently of the latter. To look the drum in the alternate, shiftedposition, another catch, 38, on the right hand end of the drum, isengaged with the adjacent ring groove in the shaft, 12. The catches 36and 38 are held in either position, 1'. e. in or out of the ringgrooves, by friction on their journal or pivot pins, which may beproduced by any preferred means, say by use of an elastic washer.

The apparatus, when arranged to be portable, is constructed as in Fig.3, the drivers or pulleys being placed one above another, as described,and journaled between posts 41 which are mounted 011 a suitable carriage42, the latter having casters or trucks 43 at its corners to enable itto be easily moved about. The shanks of the casters are pivoted in thecarriage to enable it to be easily turn ed, and when it is desired tohold them in a fixed position and in a plane parallel with the sides ofthe carriage, plates 43, which are pivoted on the sides of the carriagenear the ends, are turned down so as to extend opposite the sides of thecasters.

At the top of the posts 11 is an arm 44.- extending parallel with thecarriage, and the arm is braced by an upright 45 extending from itsouter end to one end of the carriage.

The posts are also braced by the braces46 ex- 70 tending from the footof the upright 45 to the central portion of the posts. On one end of thecarriage and at the end opposite the hoisting apparatus, is a heavyslideway 47 in which is a longitudinally mdyable slide 49 carrying aweight 48 which may be adjusted in and out, and this weight, togetherwith the weight of the slideway, prevents theladdcr supporting framefrom tipping over.

The portable apparatus is provided with a brake substantially like thatalready described, and in using either the portable apparatus or theother, the weight to be raised or lowered is fastened to thehoistinghook 28 and the operator travels up or attempts to travel up oneside of the ladder, thus turning the drivers, the shafts 12, and thewinding drums so as to operate the hoisting pulley and hook and shiftingthe position of the weight.

\Vhen used as a [ire escape, the apparatus is preferably arranged asshown in Figs. 7 and 8. Here the upper and lower shafts are journaled inbrackets 50 and 51, the former being suspended from a suitable supportand the ladder being placed upon the drivers. The ladder is arranged toextend opposite the windows of a building, and the upper shaft 52 isextended beyond the sides of the bracket or hanger 50 and its outerportions are supported in other suitable hangers 53. On the shaft arewinding drums 5 1 and 55, and the shaft may be provided with one or anydesired number. The drum 55 is loose on the shaft and connects therewithby a suitable clutch 56. Both the drums are provided with ropes orcables 57 having hoistinghooks 58 attached thereto. It will be seen thenthat the shaft may be turned by pulling down on the ropes, thusassisting in moving the ladder and in conveying any people who may bethereon, or the weight of the people on the ladder may be utilized forwinding up the ropes and lifting any articles attached thereto.

The fire escape is provided at the top with a strap brake 59,substantially like that already described, which is operated by a lever60 fulcrumed on the bracket 50, and to the free end of the lever issecured a cord 61 which hangs parallel with the ladder and which maytherefore be conveniently grasped by any person descending the ladder soas to depress the lever, apply the brake, and control the speed of theladder. Asimilarbrake 62is arranged on the lower shaft and operated by alever 63 fulcrumed on the bracket 51, and by means of the lower brake aperson standing on the ground may control the speed of the ladder. Thelower shaft of the fire escape is provided at opposite ends with ratchetwheels 6e and 65 having teeth of opposite pitch, and these are engagedby pawls 66 and 67 on the bracket 51 and the ladder is by this meansprevented from turning in the Wrong direction. It will be of courseunderstood that but one ratchet across from the rung of one member totherung of the opposite one.

In connection with the fire escape, a cage of any suitable kind'may behooked or otherwise secured to the ladder, and the person or persons tobe lowered may enter the cage. To counterbalance the cage and also toassist in raising an object, weights 71 may be hooked to the ladder, asshown by dotted lines in Fig. 7.

It will be seen that persons may readily step upon the ladder from acertain floor, as 72 in Fig. 7, and easily lower themselves or belowered to the platform 73 which is arranged on a level a little higherthan the top of the lower pulley or driver so as to prevent the feet ofthe persons lowered from coming into injurious contact with .the bars 11of the driver..

The ladder may be used without the drivers or any of the apparatusdescribed, in which case it is simply hung from a window of a building75, being secured at its upper end to a hook 74 within the building andhaving its longer portion held slightly away from the building by pinsor arms 76 which are secured to the ladder and rest against the wall ofthe building. When the ladder is not in use in this way, it may befolded into a compact shape, as shown in Fig. 12, and easily packed awayand transported.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that the apparatusmay be used conveniently as either a lifter or a fire escape, and whenused for lifting it is not necessary to use a hoisting pulley, asspecified, for the weight to be lifted or lowered may be secureddirectly to one side of the ladder by hooking a suitable platform to theladder and placing the burden thereon, or the load may be attached inany other convenient way.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. An apparatus ofthe character described comprising the upper and lower shafts, theendless ladder passing therearound, hoisting drums carried by saidshafts and a brake mechanism to control the shafts, substantially as setforth.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising upper and lowershafts, the endless ladder passing therearound, and the hoisting drumsmovable longitudinally on the shafts into and out of locking engagementtherewith, substantially as set forth.

3. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising oppositely arrangeddrivers or pulleys having parallel rods, an endless ladder having itssides formed of pivoted links adapted to turn on the rods, hoistingdrums carried by the drivers, and a brake mechanism to control the speedof the driver shafts, substantially as described.

4. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising a carriage, an uprightframework thereon, drivers journaled in the upper and lower portions ofthe frame and provided with parallel rods, an endless ladder held to runon the drivers, hoisting drums carried by the drivers, and hoistingropes carried by the drums, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the shaft, having squared portions and ringgrooves, of a drum having squared portions corresponding to those on theshaft, and catches attached to the drum and adapted to lock it. byengagement with said grooves, substantially as shown and described.

6. An apparatus of the kind described, comprising drivers secured toshafts journal'ed one above the other, the drivers having each parallelrods thereon, an endless ladder connecting the drivers and provided withlinked or jointed side pieces to run on the driver rods, hoisting drumscarried by the driver shafts, and means for throwing the drums into andout of gear with the shafts, substantially as described.

WILLIAM WELLENS.

Witnesses:

H. BOOTH,

Solicitor, Oldham. WILLIAM LEES,

His Clerk.

